Dissertations and Theses

We are now in charge of a few thousand dissertations and theses. There are a couple of ways to access them.

1. Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) - Many of our dissertations and theses have been scanned and put online. They are kept in a database called Dissertations and Theses. Here is a link to an A-Z list of databases that can be accessed from the library's homepage. Scroll down to Dissertations and Theses and click the link to see what it looks like.

http://bender.library.american.edu:8083/php/databases_a_z.php

This is the first and best place to look for a dissertation or thesis. Usually patrons will have the title or the author, so you can do a search by either title or author. Not every dissertation or thesis is online. If you don't find a full-text version in the database, you'll need to move on to option 2...

2. Theses and Dissertations that you don't find online can be found on microform, and you can find them in the back with the other microform materials. How do you know where to find them? Dissertations and theses are identified by a four digit number in the catalog. You'll have to either get that four-digit number from the patron or look up the thesis or dissertation in the catalog. They are catalogued much like books, so they each one has its own record. Holdings information in the catalog will look something like this:

Location: AU: LIB Microform Thesis (Non-Circulating)
Call Number: Thesis 4044
Number of Items: 1
Status: Available

Once you find the four digit number, (I.E. 4044), you can show the patron where to get the microform for the thesis. Take note, You'll need a key to open the thesis cabinets. The key is on the same chain as the compact storage keys hanging on the bulletin board. Please be careful not to lose the key. We keep the theses locked up because they are often the only copies in existence. If you have any questions about theses, don't hesitate to ask us.